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Christmas
Organization Tips for Busy Moms
By
Stacy
Robinson, Copyright 2001
How
many shopping days ‘til Christmas!!!? Have you ever thought - "This
year Christmas is going to be different"? You’re tired of the
stress, hurry, and busy-ness of the season. You’re determined to enjoy
Christmas this year - even if it kills you!
No
matter how many shopping days remain until Christmas, it’s never too
late to get your holiday house in order so that you can enjoy the
holidays. When your house is in order - your "stuff" is
organized and your "activities" are well planned - you will find
that you have less stress and more time to enjoy your family and friends
and focus on the true meaning of this most blessed season.
Christmas
Calendars
Take
a look at your November and December family calendar. Make sure that all
activities for each family member are listed on the family calendar. Look
carefully for conflicts and tricky scheduling, as well as multi-tasking
opportunities. Look for a day or two that you can plan on completing your
holiday shopping - without kids! (Swap babysitting with a friend who also
could use a kid-free shopping day.)
Have
a family meeting early in the holiday season to discuss each family
member’s holiday activities. Are your children going to be spending more
evenings with a sitter than with the family this holiday? Have you left
plenty of "white space" on the calendar - time with no planned
activities - time to sit back and enjoy the your family tree, bake cookies
together, or perhaps drive around town looking at holiday light displays?
As
the season progresses, at the beginning of each week look at the week’s
scheduled activities and necessary errands. Try to schedule all the
week’s errands during one time period. If possible, plan to do your
errands in the morning, early in the week to avoid crowds. If you drop
kids off for extra-curricular activities or holiday parties, do some
errands before picking up the kids.
Clutter-Free
Christmas
Now
is not the time to organize your house from top to bottom -
you’re trying to eliminate stress! However, now is the time to
declutter your home, one room at a time.
Imagine
the top of your refrigerator, your coffee table, your bedside table, your
kitchen counters. Are these surfaces full of clutter?
Go
through each room of your home and declutter all surfaces - tabletops,
bookcases, countertops, mantles, hearths, and the floor. Put the
"stuff" piled in each room in its proper place - out of sight.
Now is not the time to organize drawers and closets - simply declutter the
surfaces in each room.
When
you have decluttered a room’s surfaces, take a step back and look at the
space anew. Clutter-free rooms are certainly neater, and, amazingly, they
look cleaner too! After you’ve decluttered, do a quick top-to-bottom
cleaning of each room, especially the "public rooms" of your
home - the rooms guests see, such as living room, guest bathroom, kitchen,
guestroom (if you’re having overnight guests this holiday).
Christmas
Shopping Strategies
If
you have not completed your Christmas shopping, make it your goal to
finish it off in one or two days. Shop early in the day and early in the
week. Take your shopping list, an envelope for gift receipts, coupons, a
high-energy snack, and bottled water. Wear comfortable shoes and a fanny
pack (not cool-looking, but so practical for serious shopping days!).
Before
your shopping trip, make a detailed list of everyone for whom you will
purchase a gift, listing their sizes, hobbies, collections, etc. Take some
time before shopping day to write down at least a couple of gift ideas for
each person on your list. Don’t forget teachers and coaches at school
and church.
Plan
the various stops during your shopping trip in logical order, avoiding
backtracking and criss-crossing your path around town. If your shopping
day will include a trip to the grocer, take a cooler in the car.
Decking
Your Halls
Keep
the decorations simple! Focus on your entry area or foyer, mantel, and
tree.
Fill
your foyer with the scent and look of Christmas with a large bowl of
holiday potpourri. If your entry area does not have a table, hang a
fragrant holiday wreath with a big red bow on the inside of your entry
door.
Highlight
your mantel with a garland of evergreen. Consider permanent evergreen
garland that can be used year after year. Supply the unmistakable smells
of Christmas with scented candles.
And
all the little art projects your children bring home throughout the year -
or the ones you’ve been saving for the past 20 years - become precious
tree ornaments when you tie or hot-glue a red ribbon at the top of each
little creation. Keep the tree personal and family-centered by using as
many handmade ornaments as possible.
A
final touch that will bring Christmas to every corner of your home is to
set a pot of simmering potpourri on the cooktop every morning. Your entire
house will "feel" like Christmas!
Your
Christmas Kitchen
Does
your family eat out more often during the holidays because you are so busy
you don’t have time to prepare home-cooked meals? Avoid holiday traffic,
crowds, and added expense by eating at home as often as possible this
Christmas. And enjoy your family in the process!
Even
if you do not do so the rest of the year, write out weekly menus for the
holiday season. Plan casseroles and other items that can be cooked in
multiple batches, freezing one or two meals of each item for a future
evening at home. Set aside a morning early in the season to prepare the
food. If your freezer is small, store everything possible in zip-lock
freezer bags. For items that must be frozen in a casserole dish, transfer
food to a zip-lock bag as soon as it is frozen - you will be able to store
twice as many casseroles in your freezer! When ready to heat, simply
remove the still-frozen food from the bag and drop it into the same
casserole dish. ... And don’t forget to freeze a few appetizers and
other goodies for holiday guests.
Have
Yourself a Peaceful Little Christmas!
As
you look forward to the days ahead that are so busy for so many of us, do
whatever you can to prepare in advance for the holidays. Advance planning
and an orderly home will "automatically" alleviate some of the
typical holiday stress.
Have
yourself a peaceful little Christmas! A "peaceful" Christmas is
one without stress, without undue busy-ness, and with time to enjoy
this most special, blessed time of year with those you love most. Merry
Christmas!
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